A Bengaluru-based IT company has accused an employee of improperly using a corporate credit card to misappropriate over Rs 27 lakh for personal gains; it is also alleged that this employee then sent obscene content to senior management in an attempt to intimidate them. There is now a police investigation being conducted into this incident which is being described as a serious case of Office Credit Card misuse.
The details emerged from a formal complaint filed by the company, which triggered legal action. According to the complaint, the employee had been given a corporate credit card with a spending limit of Rs 2 lakh to handle official expenses. However, the situation escalated into a major case of Office Credit Card misuse after large unauthorised transactions were discovered.
Office Credit Card misuse exceeds Rs 27 lakh limit
According to reports, there were unauthorized transactions of approximately Rs 27,01,139 discovered during the company’s routine financial review from October 2023 to January 2024. These transactions were found to involve unusual expenses incurred on a company-issued credit card, leading the organization to suspect fraudulently conducted transactions which may have resulted in theft from the organization.
On January 12, 2024, the organization sent an email to the employee to request an explanation for the missing transactions. After receiving the request for an explanation, the employee replied on January 15 by stating that he had misused the funds.
Office Credit Card misuse admitted by employee in email
Report says that the employee maintains that he, too, was coerced by people who he believes are in China or Pakistan to do the transactions. He also promised that he would pay the company back and developed a repayment schedule, indicating that he wishes to pay back in installments despite having misused the Office Credit Card.
Then, in an email dated January 29, he restated that he would pay Rs 1 million in the second week of February and will pay the remaining balance in installments. Based upon this assurance, the company allowed him time to seek payment, expecting that they would resolve the misuse of the Office Credit Card through their corporate process.
Office Credit Card misuse escalates after missed deadlines
In spite of agreeing to pay back the full amount, this employee has reportedly not paid back any of the amount in a timely manner. Although the company attempted multiple times to work with the employee towards resolving this internally, providing him with multiple opportunities to comply with the payment agreement, none of those payments occurred and have greatly contributed to the alleged misuse of the corporate credit card(s).
On February 9, 2024, the situation escalated dramatically when this employee allegedly sent his manager sexually explicit photographs. This same communication included threats of suicide on behalf of the employee. This caused some degree of distress in both the company and the employee’s manager, and has necessitated that this matter be handled outside of the company.
Office Credit Card misuse leads to a police complaint
The corporation subsequently lodged a complaint with the police regarding the above; Varthur Police Station acted upon the complaint by registering a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the Office Credit Card misuse allegations and commencing an investigation thereon.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
